Article dispensing apapratus



22, 1940. E. SARGENT ET AL 2218331 ARTICLE DISPENSING APPARATUS FiledAug. 8, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 15 Jzderion; wad/6255122! flax gent O1940. E. H. SARGENT El AL. 2,218,831

ARTICLE DISPENSING APPARATUS v I Filed Aug. 8, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Oct. 1940. E. H. SARGENT ET AL 2,218,831

ARTICLE DISPENSII JG APPARATUS Filed Aug. 8, 1938 I ,3 Sheets-Sheet I5Patented Oct. 22, 1940 U ED-fSTAT 4 Claims.

leased manually operable actuating element andis adapted in response tosuccessive actuation of the element upon release thereof by insertioninto 15 "the usual coin slot of coins of the proper denomination toeffect feedor discharge ofthe packaged comestiblesone at a time from theunit to the housing exterior via the chute.

One object of the invention is to provide a coin 20 controlleddispensing apparatus of this type which is generally of new-and improvedconstruction and is more efficient and less costly to produce thanpreviously designed dispensing apparatus of the same generalcharacterand in addition is so constructed and designed that it embodiescertain inherent advantages and comprehe'nds a discharge cycle wherebythe oldest comestibles in the storage unit are discharged before theones last placed within thehousing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing apparatus ofthe type underconsideration in which the storage unit for the packagedcomestibles comprises a plurality of vertically spaced inclined shelvesand gates at 35 the lower ends of the shelves, and the mechanism forsuccessively discharging the comestibles includes an endless lugequipped element which is mounted at one side of the shelves and isadapted in response to manipulation of the actuating eleo ment to movestep by step and successively to open the gates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing apparatusfor packaged comestibles and other articles which consists of but a com-45 paratively small number of parts and may be quickly and readilyserviced.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages andcharacteristics of the present dispensing apparatus will be apparentfrom a consideration of the following detailed description. Theinvention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafterset forth and are more particularly defined by claims at the con- 55'clusion hereof.

s PATENT OFFICE Sargent,-Winnetka, and Anastasius G.'Alex, Evanston,Ill.

Application August 8, 1938, Serial No. 223,614

In the drawings'which accompany and form a part of this specification ordisclosure and in which like numerals of reference'denote correspondingparts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front View of a dispensing appara- 6 tus embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus illustrating indetail the arrangement of the main storage unit for the packaged comestibles and showing the construction anddesign of. the lock-equipped doorand'the auxiliary coin controlled dispensing mechanism on the door;

Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of the lower end of the storage unitillustrating the arrange- M ment and design of the gates at the lowerends of the vertically spaced inclined shelves and showing the manner inwhich such gates are successively opened in response to stepby stepmovement of the endless lug equipped element,

constituting apart of the discharge mechanism;

Figure 4 is arear view of the lower end of the storage unit showingindetail the construction and design of the gates at'the lower ends ofthe inclined shelves; H

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 5-5 ofFigure 4;

' Figure 6 is a front View of the lower end of the storage unit; 7

' Figure '7 is a perspective view of one of the gates;

Figure 8 is a plan. view of the gearing which forms a part of thedischarge mechanism and serves in response to manipulation of theactuating element to drive or feed the endless lug equipped gate openingelement in a step by step or intermittent manner;

Figures 9, 10 and 11 are vertical longitudinal sectional views of thegearing taken respectively on the lines 9-9, Ill-J0 and ll-l| of Figure8;

and

Figure 12 is a vertical transverse section of the aforesaid gearingtaken on the line l2-l2 of Figure 8.

The apparatus which is shown in the drawings constitutes the preferredembodiment of the in- 5 vention. It is designed, as hereinafterdescribed, to dispense packaged comestibles such as candy bars B, andcomprises as the main or principal parts thereof a housing I3, a storageunit M for the bars, and a manually operable coin controlled mechanismfor discharging the bars one at a time. x

The housing I3 is vertically elongated, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 andis adapted .to be mounted on astand or like supporting structure at theproper elevation to permit of ready manipulation of the apparatus. tserves to house the storage unit i4 and the coin controlled mechanismfor discharging the bars one at a time from the unit, and consists of abottom i5, a back it, a top H, a pair of sides l8, and a front ii]. Thelatter are formed of any suitable material and are fixedly or rigidlysecured together. In addition to the back, bottom, top, sides and front,the housing i3 comprises a door 26 and an arcuate sheet metal piece 2|.This piece is located in the lower or rear portion of the housing, asshown in Figure 2. It is connected at the ends thereof to the lowerportion of the housing back It and the central portion of the housingbottom l5 and forms with the back it and the rear and lower portions ofthe sides i8 an L-shaped discharge chute 22 which extends or leadsdownwardly along theback of the housing and then extends forwardly overthe housing bottom iii. The lower or front end of this chutecommunicates with the housing exterior by way of a discharge opening 23in the lower portion of the front IQ of the housing. This opening 23 isnormally closed by means of a vertically swinging sheet metal door 24which is hinged at its lower end to the front margin of the housingbottom l5. A handle 25 on the upper portion of the door facilitatesopening and closing of the door and a spring 26 is applied to the hingeconnection for the door in such man ner that upon release of the door itoperates to swing the door into its closed position. A plate 27 isfixedly secured to the lower end of the door 24 and extends inwardly andat right angles to the latter. When the door 24 is in its closedposition this plate overlies the front portion of the housing bottom l5and is flush with the bot tom of the arcuate sheet forming member 2| sothat it receives any discharged candy bar B from the chute. If theapparatus has been operated to effect discharge of one of the candy barsfrom the unit M, as hereinafter described, the door 24 is adapted to beswung forwardly intoits open position. This movement or operation servesto expose the discharged candy bar, and at the same time causes theplate 21 to swing upwards into a position wherein it closes the bottomof the chute 22 and thus prevents a person from reaching into the chuteand stealing any of the candy bars in the storage unit l4. Because ofthe specific arrangement of the door 24 and the plate 2?, the personusing or operating the apparatus need only after discharge of a candybar swing the door 24. into its open position and then remove the barfrom the plate 27. The front it of the housing l3 terminates in ahorizontal ledge 28 directly over the door 24 for the chute 22. Theledge 28 together with the front margins of the top and sides of thehousing defines a doorway 29 which provides access to the storage unitHi. The door Zil of the housing serves to close this doorway. As shownin Figure l, the door 23 is hinged along one of the side margins thereofto the front margin of the adjacent side l8 of the housing and isprovided along its other side margin with a key controlled lock 3%whereby it may be locked in its closed position. When access is desiredto the interior of the housing for inspection or refilling purposes thelock 3|) is unlocked and the door?!) is swung forwardly into its openposition. Directly over the ledge 28 the door it is provided with acompartment 3| for displaying a candy bar like-those which are stored inthe unit M. This co'mpartmentembodies a glass panel 32 to permit the bartherein respect to the front 9.

to be seen or viewed from the housing exterior, and embodies a back 33which is secured in place so that it may be readily removed when accessis desired to the interior of the compartment 3|.

The storage unit l4 for the bars B is vertically elongated and isdisposed in the housing l3 substantially midway between the back l5 andthe front I9. It defines the front portion of, and communicates with theupper portion of the discharge chute 22 of the housing and comprises apair of laterally spaced parallel side walls 34 and a series ofvertically spaced shelves 35. The latter are downwardly and. rearwardlyinclined and serve individually to support the bars B. The side marginsof the shelves are provided with downturned integral flanges 36 whichare soldered, welded or otherwise secured to the side walls 34. The unitI4 is supported in place in the housing in an elevated position withrespect to the bottom portion of the chute 22 by means of a pair ofhorizontally aligned blocks 37 and 38. The block 31 fits between and issuitably secured to the bottom margins of the side walls 34 of the unitand the block 38 is disposed forwardly o-f, and is fixedly secured to,the front portion of the block 37 as shown in Figures 2 and 5. A hollowsheet metal structure 39 extends between the housing front 19 and thefront portion of the block 38 and serves to hold said block 38 togetherwith the block; 31 and the unit M in fixed or rigid relation with Thefront ends of the shelves 35 are open so that when the door 20 is in itsopen position the bars B may be inserted between the side walls 34 intoplace on the shelves. The rear ends of the shelves 35 open onto theupper portion of the discharge chute and are normally closed by means ofgates 40. The latter correspond in number to and are associatedrespectively with the shelves. They are preferably formed of sheet metaland are of such height that when they are in their closed position theyextend between, and serve effectively to close the space between, therear ends of the shelves.

At one side of the unit the gates 40 embody forwardly extending integralears 4| and at the other side of the unit the gates, are provided withforwardly extending ears 42. The ears 4| lap the outer faces of the sidewall 34 at saidone side of the storage unit l4 and are pivotallyconnected to a vertical series of studs 43. The ears 42 are formedintegrally with the gates and lap the outer face of the side wall 34 atthe other side of the storage unit I4. They are slightly larger than theears 4| and are pivotally they are free with respect to the rear endsofthe shelves and the bars B on the shelves are permitted to sliderearwardly into the chute 22. The shelves 35 are preferably inclined ata sufficiently sharp angle so that when the gates 40 are swung intotheir open position the bars slide U readily into the chute. Afterentering the chute the bars B drop downwardsonto the plate 27 from whichthey may be removed by opening the door 24, as hereinbefore described.The cars 42 embody outwardly extending sleeves. 45 for the studs 44 andhave the upper margins thereof a horizontally extending shaft 6I.

bent outwardly to form integral arms 46. The latter extendatsubstantially right angles to the gates 40 and are adapted, ashereinafter described to be engaged and moved downwardly in connectionwith opening of the gates. The gates are adapted to be successivelyopened in order to permit of successive or individual discharge. ofthecandy bars B. A-sh'aped wire springs 41 are applied to the gates sothat they urge the latter into their closed position. These springscomprise downwardly extending legs 48 and forwardly extending legs 49.The apexes of the springs are in .theform of loops which are mounted onsleeves 45. The lower end of the leg 48 of each spring is wrapped orcoiled around the subjacent sleeve 45 so that it is anchored in place.The legs 49 bear against the under faces of the arms 46 and are undersuch compression that they urge the arms forwardly and upwardly andhence eifect closing of the gates when the latter are released.

-The manually operable coin controlled mechanism for discharging thecandy bars B, one at a time from the storage unit I4 for passage to thedoor closed discharge opening via the chute 22, comprises an actuatingelement 5|, an endless element 52 and gearing 53 between the actuatingelement 5I and the endless element 52 for feeding the latterintermittently or step by step in response to actuation of the former.The element 5! is in the form of a horizontal push rod which extendsthrough the hollow sheet metal structure 39 between the housing front I9and the block 38. The front end of the actuating element is providedwith a knob or push-button 54 which is accessible from the front of thehousing by way of a hole 55 in the housing front IS. The rear end of theactuating element is slidably mounted in aligned bores 56 and 51 in theblocks 31 and 33 so that the element is shiftable bodily to and from theback of the housing. The gearing 53, as hereinafter described, is soarranged and designed that each time the push rod type actuating element5| is shifted rearwards by pressing against the push-button 54, itcauses a predetermined movement or feed of the endless element 52. Theendless element 52 extends vertically and is in the form of a chain. Itis positioned alongside of the storage unit I4 and adjacent to the arms46 and the ears 42 of the gates 40 and extends from the top of the unitl4 to the bottom; The upper end of the chain formed element extendsaround an idler sprocket 58 which is fixedly secured to one end of ahorizontally extending shaft 59. Said shaft 59 extends across the sidewalls 34 of the storage unit I4 and is journaled in suitable bearings sothat the sprocket 58 is free to rotate in connection with drive or feedof the element 52; The lower end of the element extends around drivesprocket 60 which is vertically aligned with the idler sprocket 58 andis fixedly secured to one end of The latter shaft extends through thehole in the adjacent side wall 34 of the unit I4 and is journaled in a.

suitable bearing so that the drive sprocket is free to rotate. As aresult of the fact that the endless element 52 is mounted on the twosprockets it embodies a front reach and a rear reach. The

drive sprocket is adapted, as hereinafter described, to be driven by thegearing 53 in response toinward shift of the actuating element 5| insuch manner that the front reach of the endless :chain formed element 52moves upwards and the 75 lrear reach moves downwards. The element 52,

as shown in'Figures 2 and '3, is provided with a pair of gate openinglugs I52.v These lugs are V-shaped and are. positioned on the element 52so that the two lengths of element forming chain between them areequalor the same in length. As a result of so positioning the lugs, one lugis adapted to move downwardly in the rear reach of the chain formedelement, while the other lug moves upwards in the front reach. The rearreach of the element 52 is disposed directly opposite to the front endsof the ears 42 of the gates 40 with the result that the lugs duringdownward travel insuch reach successively engage the arms 42 and inresponse to step by step feed of the element open'the gates 40 one at atime. As a result of the arrangement of the lugs the gates are openedsuccessively one after the other in response to intermittent or step bystep feed of the element 52. As the gates are successively opened thecandy bars B are permitted to slide from the shelves into the chute 22,as heretofore pointed out. As a result of the arrangement of the gearingthe element 52 is permitted to move in one direction only. Thisconstitutes an important feature as far as the present apparatus isconcerned because after refilling a group of empty shelves the olderbars in the apparatus are caused to be discharged before the bars lastplaced in the storage unit. Because of the arrangement none of the barsduring normal periodic use of the apparatus is permitted to becomestale. As the result of the specific arrangement or location of thelugs, when one lug reaches the end of travel in the rear reach of thechain formed element 52 and has successively opened all of the gates,the other lug is in position in response to further movement of thechain to start its downward travel in the rear reach of the element 52.In order to prevent sagging or defiection of the reach reach of theelement 52 as a result of the lug therein striking against the arms 46an elongated sheet metal guide 63 is provided. This guide is disposedbetween the front and rear reaches of the chain formed element andembodies a forwardly extending inner flange 64 which is welded orotherwise fixedly secured to the adjacent outer wall of the storage unitI4. In addition to the fiange the guide embodies an outwardlyfiandrearwardly extending flange 65 which laps the lower reach of theelement52 and prevents sidewise or lateral displacement of the latter; Theupperend of the guideterminates beneath the idler sprocket 58 and thelower end of the guide elements directly above the drive sprocket 60.

The gearing 53 for driving the chain formed lug equipped endless element52 in an intermittent or step by step manner in response to inward shiftof the actuating element 5I is mounted on the block 31 at the lower endof the storage unit I4 and comprises a rack 66, a gear 61, v

a tooth equipped driving wheel 66, :a driven wheel 69, a pinion 10, anda gear H. The rack 66 is connected to and forms a part of the inner end:of the actuating element 5| and is slidably mounted in the bore 56 inthe block 31. It is in the naiture of ;a hollow sleeve and meshes with:and serves to drive or rotate the gear 61, as shown in Figures 9 and12. The gear 61 is loosely mounted on a horizontal shaft I2 whichextends transversely across the block 31 and is journaled at the endsthereof in aligned bearing forming holes 13 in a pair of upstanding lugsI4 on the sides of the block 31. The driving .wheel 68 is tionedalongside of the gear 61. It embodies a pair of diametrically oppositeoutwardly extending teeth 15 and is fixedly secured by screws 16 to thehub portion .of the gear 5'! so {that it rotates with the gear. The gear61 is adapted to be rotated approximately 180 in response to a fullinward stroke of the push rod type actuating element 51. The drivenwheel 69 is located at one side of the rack 66 and is pinned to theshaft '12 so that it serves to drive the latter. It is connected to thewheel 68 for drive in .one direction by means of a dog 11. The latter ispivotally mounted on a headed pin 18 on the outer portion of the drivenwheel and is urged by means .of a wire spring 19 into engagement withthe periphery of the driving wheel 68. When the actuating element is inits retracted position, that is, shifted to its farthest extentforwardly, the dog H is adapted to be engaged by one of the two teeth onthe driving wheel 68. When the wheel $8 is rotated by the gear 61 inresponse to rearward movement of the actuating element 5! the drivingwheel operates through the medium of the dog 19 to rotate the drivenwheel 68 180. In view of the fact that the driven wheel is pinned to theshaft 1'2 the shaft is likewise rotated 180. On the retractile stroke ofthe actuating element, the gear 61 and the driving wheel rot-ate in theopposite direction and impart no rotation to the driven wheel 69 and theshaft 12. During the retractile stroke of the actuating element the gearwheel 61 and the driving wheel 68 are reversely rotated and the othertooth on the periphery of the driving wheel is caused to come intoabutting relation with the dog l9 so that the dog is connected to drivethe driven wheel from the driving wheel in response to the next inwardshift of the actuating element. Pinion 10 is pinned to the shaft 12, asshown in Figure 12 and meshes with and serves to drive the gear H. Thelatter, as shown in Figure 8, is mounted on and keyed to the shaft 6!for the drive sprocket 60. Because of the specific arrangement anddesign of the gearing 53 the shaft 12 together with the pinion l0 andthe gear H and the drive sprocket 60 are driven each time the actuatingelement is shifted rearwards. On the return or retraotile stroke of theactuating element the shaft 12 and the sprocket wheel remain stationary.It is thus apparent that in response to inward shift of the actuatingelement the endless element 5! is caused tohbe driven in an intermittentor step by step manner. The sprocket 6B is of such size that in responseto each inward shift of the actuating element it feeds or drives the.chain formed endless element 52 a suffrcient distance to cause theoperative lug, that is, the lug on the rear reach of the element 52 tomove from one arm 46 to the other and thus release one gate for returnby its spring and cause the next lower gate 4i) to open against theforce of its spring for bar discharging purposes. The mechanismincluding the push rod type actuating element ill, the lug equippedchain formed endless element E52 and the gearing 53 is controlled by aconventional or standard coin device (not shown) so that is released forone inward shift of-the element 5! only upon insertion into a coin slotof a coin :of proper predetermined denomination. The coin slot Bil ismounted on the door 28 of the housing and forms part of the coin device.When a proper coin is inserted in the slot 80 the device as wellunderstood in the art releases the mechanism for feeding the endlesselement .52 so that it is possible to shift the actsating element 5|inwards once. After release of the mechanism and in response to inwardshift of the actuating element, the endless element 52 is fed so thatthe operative lug moves down.- wards from the gate for the shelf of thelast discharged bar to the next lower gate and opens the latter. Suchmovement or action on the part of the operative lug results in dischargeof one of the candy bars B. A compression spring 8| serves to retractthe push rod type actuating element 5| after a full inward strokethereof. This spring fits within the bore 56 in the block 31 and isarranged so that one end thereof fits within the hollow portion of therack 66. The other end of the compression spring 8| abuts against a plug82 at the rear end of the bore 56. In order to prevent the actuatingelement 5| from being returned by the spring 8| prior to a full inwardstroke of the actuating element and discharge of one of the candy barsto the operator or user of the apparatus, a full stroke ratchetconnection 83 is provided. This connection, as shown in Figure 11,comprises a ratchet Wheel 8'4 and a pawl 85. The ratchet wheel ismounted looselyon the shaft 12 and is disposed between the pinion l8 andthe gear 61. It is fixedly secured to the gear and embodies a limitednumber of teeth 86. The pawl 85 (see Figure 5) is pivotally connected toan upstanding iug 81 on the block 31. A tension spring 88 is applied tothe pawl so as to control the latter. The pawl is so arranged and isunder such control by the spring 88 that it coacts with the teeth of theratchet wheel 84 to prevent reverse rotation of the gear 6'1 until aftera full inward stroke of the actuating element 51. When the actuatingelement 5| is shifted inwardly to its fullest extent so as to effect aproper feed of the endless element 52 and resultant discharge @Of one ofthe candy bars B, the teeth 86 on the ratchet wheel move out ofengagement with the pawl 85 and thus release the pawl so that the gear61 is free to rotate reversely in response to outward shift of theactuating element. When the actuating element is again shifted inwards,the pawl is p0- sitioned to coact wit-h the teeth of the ratchet wheeland produce a ratchet action whereby a full inward stroke of theactuating element mus-t be effected before the element is permitted toreturn to its normal or starting position. In .order to prevent the userof the machine from obtaining over-throw of the driven wheel 69 andpossibly a double discharge of bars from the storage unit M by a quickor fast inward shift of r the actuating element 5!, a back stop dog 89is provided. This dog coacts with a pair of outwardly extendingdiametrically opposite teeth 90 on the periphery of the driven wheel 69.It is connected to a pivot pin in an ear 92 so that it is free to swingto and from the driven wheel.

The ear 92 is formed integrally with and projects upwardly from theblock 31, as shown in Figure 9. The dog 89 is urged toward the peripheryof the driven wheel by way of a wire spring 93. The teeth 90 arearranged so that at the end of the full inward stroke of the actuatingelement one of them comes into abutment with the dog 89 and thus =locksthe gearing against any further rotative movement tending additionallyto. feed or drive .the chain formed endless element 52. A cam 94 and-anarm 95 serve automatically upon return or retraction of the actuatingelement 5| to shift the dog 89 away from the adjacent tooth and thusfree the driven wheel so .thatiit is'o'apable-of being rotated inresponse toz-the next inward shift of the actuating element. .The vcam1,9,4, is integral with, and forms a part of, the hub of the gear 61, asshown in Figures 8, 10 and 12.; The arm 951s fixedly [connected to andradiates from: the pivot pin 9| forthe dog. and is urged into contactwith the cam 94 by the .wire. spring 93. The cam is so constructed thatthe high spot thereof engages the arm 95 [at the end of the retractilestroke of the actuating element and thus causes the arm 95 together withthe dog 89 to swing outwards. As the result of such outward swing thedog 89 is freed or released from the adjacent tooth 90, as shown inFigures 9 land 10. During inward shift, of the actuating element 5| inresponse to the next vending or. dispensing operation of the apparaitusthe high spot on the cam rot-ates out of engagement with the arm 95 :andpermits the dog? to swing inwards into engagement with the periphery ofthe driven wheel 69 in such manner that it is again operative at the endof the full inward stroke of the actuating element to engage one of vtheteeth 90 and thus prevent overthrow of the gearing.

The operation of the dispensing apparatusis as follows: When it isdesired to fill the storage unit l4 so that the apparatus is inreadiness for operation, the attendant for the apparatus opens the door20 and then fills the shelves 35 with candy bars B. After completefilling or charging of the unit I4 the door 20 is closed and then lockedby proper manipulation of the key forthe flock 30; When it is desired toobtain a candy bar from the apparatus a coin of proper denominationis-inserted into the slot 80 so as to release-the mechanism for a singleinward stroke of the actuating element 5|. After inser-- tion of thecoin into the slot and release of the mechanism'the. actuating-element5| is pushed inwardly. During such inwardmovement of the actuatingelement the gearing 53 is set into motion so as to cause the chainformed endless element 52to3move a. sufficient distance to cause theoperative lug 52 to swing open one of the gates 40. .As soon as suchgate is swung into its fully open-position the candy bar B on the shelfwhich is associated with the opened gate slides forwardly into the chute22 and then drops downwardly'through the chute onto the plate 21 fromwhence it iswadapted to be removed upon forward swing of the door 24.After completion of the full inward stroke ofnthe actuating element, thecompression. spring 8| serves to retract or shift forwardly the element5|. During such shift of the element there is no feed or movement of theendless element 52. When another bar is desired another coil of theproper denomination must be inserted into the [coin slot 80 When theapparatus becomes partially empty and it is desired again to charge theunit I4, the door 20 is opened and the empty shelves are filled. Becauseof the arrangement of the lugs 52 and the manner in which the endlesselement 52 operates the oldest candy bars in the apparatus aredischarged in response to further operation of the apparatus before thebars last placed in the machine are capable of being dispensed. Asheretofore pointed out, the construction and design of the dischargemechanism for the storage unit I4 are such that the gate 40 which isopened by the operative lug in response aged 'comestibleon the nextlower shelf. By holding open the outwardly swung gate 40 until the nextplay of the apparatus, it is possible in the event the candy bar behindthe open gate sticks to dislodge the bar by shaking the housing. Inorder to hold the lowermostgate 40 open after opening thereof anduntil-the next operation of the apparatus, an arcuate lever 96 isprovided. This lever is pivotally connected to a headed pin 91 on thelower'end of one of the side walls 34 of the storage unit I4 and isarranged so that it extends under the drive sprocket 60 and the distalend thereof abuts against the arm 45 for the lowermost gate 40. When theoperative lug 62 moves from the next lowest gate downwards in responseto a succeeding operation of the apparatus, such luginstead ofengagingthe arm 46 of thelowermost gatev swingsdownwards, as shown in Figure 2,into contact with the lever 96, and operates through the medium of thelever to hold the lowermost gate in its open position. When theapparatus is next operated the lug in contact with thelever 96 moves outof engagement with the lever andinto theforward or inoperative reach ofthe element 52 While the other lug swings into engagement with the arm46 for the uppermost gate 40 and opens such gate. The lever embodies'atits distal end a hookshaped piece 98 which overlies the front end' ofthe arm 46 of the lowermost gate 40. Because of the arrangement of thispiece 90 the lever is at all times in connected relation with thelowermost gate and the spring for such gate serves to urge, it upwards,as shown in Figure 3. Whereas but one storage unit I4 together with itsmanually operable coin controlled mechanism has been described, it is tobe understood that other units may be disposed in the housing I3 in sideby side relation with the unit I4. When more than one unitv iseinployedother coin con-- trolled mechanisms aresuitably disposed inthe bottomportion of the housing.

In order to increase the dispensing capacity of the apparatus, the door20 is provided with an auxiliary coin controlled dispensing unit ormechanism 99. This mechanism is mounted on and associated witli'the rearface of the door of the housing I3 and comprises a storage unit I00,amanually controlled mechanism I0| for-discharging merchandise such aspeanuts in a predetermined quantity from the unit and a chute I02 forconveying the discharged merchandise from the interior of the housing I3to thehousing exterior. The storage unit I00 com-' prises a frameI03.and an open ended receptacle I04 in the frame. The frame is sopositioned with respect to the upper portion of the rear face of thedoor 20, that when the door 20 is in its open position the receptacleI04 may .be'filled with peanuts or other like merchandise by pouring thesame into the top of the receptacle. The mechanism |0I includes anactuating element I05 which upon placement of a coin in a coin chute I06of a coin device (not shown) is free and when shifted inwards actuatesthe mechanism I0| so that it dispenses a predetermined quantity ofpeanuts or other merchandise from the receptacle I04 into the chute I02,The lower end of the chute communicates with the exterior of the housingI3 by way of a doorway I01 in the central portion of the door 20. Thisdoorway is normally closed by a vertically swinging spring closed doorI08. By having the auxiliary coin controlling dispensing mechanismmounted on the door 20 the storage unit I00 for such mechanism and thestorage unit l4 are both exposed for refilling or charging purposes uponopening of the door 20.

The herein described dispensing apparatus is extremely efiicient inoperation and may be manufactured or fabricated at a comparatively lowcost. Furthermore it may be charged or refilled with facility due to thearrangement and design of the storage units 14 and I00.

Whereas the apparatus has been specifically described for use indispensing candy bars and as having a manually operable actuatingelement 5| for effecting discharge of the bars from the storage unit, itis to be understood that the apparatus may be used to dispense otherpackaged comestibles or articles and that the coin controlled mechanismfor actuating the storage unit may include other operating means than amanually operable actuating element. It is alsoto be understood that theinvention is not to be restricted to the details set forth, since thesemay be modified within the scope of the appended claims, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dispensing apparatus for articles, comprising in combination ahousing having a dis charge chute, a storage unit positioned in thehousing and embodying a series of fixed vertically spaced articlesupporting shelves inclined in the direction of, and leading to, thechute and normally closed movably mounted article retaining gateslocated at the lower ends of the shelves and provided with laterallyextending arms, and mechanism for efiecting discharge of the articlesinto the chute for dispensing purposes including a flexible endlesselement mounted alongside of the unit for drive and having lug meansthereon adapted in response to intermittent drive of the element in onedirection successively to engage the arms and open the gates, and coincontrolled means for driving the element intermittently in said onedirection.

2. A dispensing apparatus for articles, comprising in combination ahousing having a discharge chute leading to the exterior thereof, astorage unit in the housing embodying a series of vertically spacedarticle supporting shelves inclined in the direction of the chute andpivoted spring closed article retaining gates located at the lower endsof the shelves and provided with laterally extending arms, and mechanismfor effecting discharge of the articles into the chute for dispensingpurposes including a sprocket supported chain mounted alongside of theunit and having lug means thereon adapted in response to intermittentdrive of the chain in one direction successively to engage the arms andswing the gates open, and coin controlled means for driving the chainintermittently in said one direction.

3. A dispensing apparatus for articles, comprising in combination ahousing having a discharge chute leading to the exterior thereof, astorage unit disposed in the housing and embodying a pair of verticallyelongated laterally spaced side walls, a series of vertically spacedarticle supporting shelves extending between the side walls and inclinedin the direction of, and leading to, the chute, and normally closedpivotally supported article retaining gates located at the lower ends ofthe shelves and provided with laterally extending arms alongside of oneof said side walls, and mechanism for effecting discharge of thearticles into the chute for dispensing purposes including an endlesssprocket supported chain positioned alongside of said one side wall andprovided with lug means adapted in response to intermittent drive of theelement in one direction successively to engage the gate arms and swingthe gates open, and manually operable coin controlled means for drivingthe chain intermittently in said one direction only.

4. A dispensing apparatus for articles, comprising in combination ahousing having a discharge chute, a storage unit in the housingembodying a series of vertically spaced article supporting shelvesinclined in the direction of and leading to the chute, and pivotedspring closed article-holding gates located at the lower ends of theshelves and provided with arms for opening purposes, and mechanism foreffecting discharge of the articles into the chute including an endlesssprocket supported chain positioned along one side of the unit andhaving lug means thereon adapted in response to drive of the chain inone direction successively to engage the arms and open the gates, anactuating element movable between two positions, and one-way drivinggearing between the element and the chain operative in response to afull stroke movement of the actuating element in one direction to drivethe chain such a distance as to cause the lug means to release one gateand engage the arms of, and swing open, the next gate.

EDGAR HASKELL SARGENT. ANASTASIUS G. ALEX.

